PEE Paragraphs
A PEE paragraph is a sort of checklist to analytical response writing. It helps ensure you dig deep to get at the hidden meaning behind the text. To the right, you will find a simplified explanation. Though this example only has one piece of textual evidence (a direct quotation), a successful response will need to have multiple pieces of evidence to help support the point you are making.
Below you will find a more complex response using the PEE structure. Please note that all the quotations are taken from the same page of the text. For this reason, it is acceptable to put the in-text citation at the end of the paragraph.
This type of writing is expected at the upper levels of high school (11th and 12th grade).
PEE Response 2
Initially, Hawthorne seems to show respect for the Puritan community, but his satiric diction veils his true criticism. He calls the Puritans “good people” even though he has already described their “grim rigidity”. In reality, they are a cold and vicious group who are willing to whip a child simply for his unruly behavior. By using these contrasting images to emphasize his real purpose, Hawthorne shows that these people are not as good as they appear on the surface to be. Instead, they are people who are involved in an “awful business” and are awaiting an “anticipated execution”. Hawthorne’s use of the word “anticipated” implies an eagerness in this community to watch someone die. The multiple connotations implicit in the word “anticipated” allow Hawthorne to satirize this community more disposed to sentence lesser crimes with death rather than with simple ridicule. This harsh treatment of the accused for crimes any person could commit speaks to the hypocritical nature of the Puritans who are eager to condemn others to better themselves (Hawthorne 44).
**Adapted from Mrs. Garcia's AP analysis review**PEE Paragraph Response
Point: This is the answer to a question. It is the main POINT of your paragraph.
Example: The author creates suspense through his personification of the weather.
Evidence: This is a quotation or a fact from the text which proves/supports your point.
Example: He describes the wind as it “howled and rattled the windows” (23).
Explain: This explains how the quotation or fact proves the point you have made.
Example: By doing this, the author gives the wind an unnatural power and thus makes it appear more threatening.
Explore: Here, you take a word/language feature from your quotation and explore its significance in greater detail.
Example: The fact that the wind “howled” is particularly significant as it suggests suffering, like the primal howl of a wounded person or wild animal.
Evaluate: Finally, you explain how this evidence/scene/fact affects the reader’s understanding of the character, themes or plot.
Example: This language is effective because it creates a sense of anxiety and foreshadows the horror that is to come.
Respuesta abierta básica
1. Punto: Responda a la pregunta en detalle.
2. Evidencia: Escriba un detalle o una cita que apoye su respuesta. Esto debe ser directamente del texto que está escribiendo.
3. Explique: Explique en detalle cómo la evidencia demuestra que su respuesta es correcta.
4. Evidencia 2: Escriba un segundo detalle o cita que apoye su respuesta.
5. Explique: Explique cómo esa segunda prueba demuestra que su respuesta es correcta.
6. Evalúe: Explique cómo todo o su evidencia ayuda a probar que su respuesta es correcta (esto es como un resumen de su evidencia).
** Cada oración de su párrafo debe ayudar a probar la primera oración (punto). No escribas sobre algo nuevo. **
